The city wakes up from a long night after the incident in the graveyard. No reports of dreams are received by the flaming fist or otherwise. The ilmater shrine releases several planar touched back to their homes, who report feeling refreshed and on the mend. Flaming Fist patrols are seen more frequent in the coming days, while everything has a certain stillness to it.

“He the forsaken, who speaks in two lies and one truth.. The arrogant..”

Watcher Martin Valdore of Helm's temple in Baldur's Gate, the Temple of the Shield, speaks in positive terms of Cadet Von Rittermark and the Everwatch Knights of Helm during his latest sermons. He harkens back to the cooperation between Baldurian and Amnian Helmites during 1351 and the war against the undead, and hopes the same lies in the future.

The farmlands north of Baldur's Gate stir with a hasty blur of activity that sees carnival lights doused, colorful tents torn down, and equally colorful characters packed into wagons that seem eager to depart. As the grounds begin to clear of the festive array that has occupied the spot for some time now, a lone cage containing a single gnoll remains untouched. The creature gnaws at his bars in a fit of rage, snarling at anyone who crosses his gaze before a dagger is thrown by some sideshow marksman and sticks it in the eye. There it remains, dead, while the carnival continues to roll out.

In the hubbub of this departure, a fellow whose mood is nothing less than irate reports the description of two men - an elderly human with gray hair who is capable of shapeshifting and a gnome possessing both unusual strength and extremely clean teeth - who are responsible for theft, greivous bodily assault, and wrecking his carnival's livelihood.

Cautionary posters are hanged in Baldur's Gate with these descriptions and any sightings of such villainous men are directed to the Flaming Fist's attention.

With the change in Beregost's diplomatic status and the continuous threat from the Devils, the Council of Four is rumored to hold late and protracted meetings with various advisors and other prominent figures. Those who frequent the Courts or have connections in certain social circles whisper about some kind of announcement or a new decree being in the works.

People traversing the area around Baldur's Gate and within the city itself would have noticed a rather large increase in the number of flaming fist soldiers. Patrols have become incredibly tight and it has become commonplace to see groups of soldiers performing Drills not only within the flaming fist grounds themselves but also in the open fields around the city. Meanwhile blacksmiths, tailors and fletchers work away tirelessly to make sure that the weapons and armour of the city soldiers is kept in good condition and the fighting force is well supplied.

The clang of steel and shouts of orders can be heard as preparations for war have started to come in to full swing. In the harbour district every day there are more ships coming in, some bring supplies while others are bringing home more of the fists soldiers. Unlike many of the troops around the city these men and women are proper soldiers of war, They carry themselves with a pride that can only come from the finest the Flaming Fist has to offer.

Three such companies of these men and women have already arrived home and been re-deployed to the fields of the dead. The Crashing Steed, The Steel Bull and The Flaming Hammer, Their war camps heavily guarded as to keep the prying eyes of Adventurers at a distance.

"If a dragon falls in the forest and nobody gets to hear about it, does it make a thud?"

Sailors and traders are sharing stories of how the seas of the Sword Coast are becoming more hazardous. The tales foreign merchants bring increasingly include talk of narrow escapes from pirate vessels; and more worringly ships are more often going missing at sea, which speculation links to piracy. There is discontent about the state of affairs, and the recent raid on Ulgoth's Beard has galvanised some to talk of making a deputation to the Dukes about what appears to be a growing pirate menace.

Today a group of four citizens, two children a farmer and his wife had been kidnapped. Shortly after a women appeared at the campfire calling on the local adventurers. She told them they had fifteen minutes to find them, before each was reanimated as a vampire. The adventurers managed to find them in the east farmlands down a well, and brought them back to the Temple of Ilmater. Apparently they had been kidnapped by a few humans in the city and taken to the under city with little memory beyond that.

People of Baldur's Gate talk among eachothers regarding an attack on the Refugee Camp that happened several days ago. Apparently, in middle of night, a large host of Undead and Demons managed to somehow get through Flaming Fist patrols and launch a surprise attack on the refugees, killing over a dozen of them. It's said that the casualties would've been bigger, were it not for swift intervention of the defenders of the camp alongside with brave charge of adventurers right into the fray.

Tongues are wagging that the word "Orcus" is somehow connected to the entire event, and that the Flaming Fist have tightened patrols around the Refugee Camp.

Shock spreads through the city as a gruesome crime unfolds. A horribly mutilated Flaming Fist watchmen staggers through the streets of Baldur's Gate, the symbol of the Black Hand, Bane carved into his forehead. The alarm is swiftly raised and the victim brought by his comrades for urgent treatment within the Flaming Fist compound.

Yet still, eyewitnesses say the guardsman bore another message on his body, one as follows:

"This is the fate of any who would dare lay a hand on a servant of The Black Lord Bane. Release Mae or more of your ilk will share this fool's fate! You have until dawn."

The brazenness of the crime, coming so swiftly after the assault on the Refugee Camp, sends many tongues wagging. Flaming Fist patrols are doubled in the docks and a 100,000 gold reward is offered for information leading to an arrest.

A proclamation is posted outside of the temple of Helm, tacked up on the bulletin board in the commons of the East District, and circulated via rumor mill among those who reside in Baldur's Gate.

Let it hence be known that Pryat Mae yr Machshikhah of Helm, Trusty of the Temple of the Guardian in Saelmur, newly arrived to Baldur's Gate by way of Athkatla, has been exonerated of all charges - including sedition, dissent, consorting with evil gods, and treason - that the vile impostor who has recently masqueraded as the pryat has wrongfully incurred in her guise.

Watcher Martin Valdore
Overblade of the Church of Helm in Baldur's Gate

A flurry of activity occurs both at the Flaming Fist compound at that the court, with a number of embassies being received.

Three knights of the Order of the Radiant Heart, led by Grand Knight Gaven Arkalis, are seen entering the Flaming Fist compound; later five black clad Northern Watchpersons, led by Commander Wren Di'Corvi, are seen attending the same place.

Later, trio of darkclad* individuals, one recognisable as the Dreadlady of Darkhold Morgalia Verenach, attend the Duchal Palace in response to a summons.

Yet another summons is given for Derik Ranloss, headmaster of the Bladestone Academy, to the Flaming Fist Compound. The Headmaster arrived with two comrades, including a flame haired tiefling who was escorted through the city with an armed flaming Fist escort.

It begins to be whispered about the streets of Baldur's Gate that a woman by the name of Morgan Blackrose, complete with such description as has been given by various upstanding citizens, has been added to the Watch's list of suspicious figures to be observed while upon Ducal soil.

Overblade Martin Valdore might be glimpsed in much better spirits about the temple of Helm in Baldur's Gate after members of the Everwatch - and one blond, temporary member of their ranks - were seen escorting a missing pryat back to the fold late last evening. A bit of tension was released from his shoulders at her safe return and sincere thanks were doled out accordingly to the faithful of Helm and the Marshal of House Darius who assisted in her rescue. While the group closed itself off for a formal debriefing, a runner may have been seen to remove the fliers posted in various city locales, advertising for aid in Mae's disappearance.